Breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer afflicting Western society. It is estimated that the spread of the disease has risen in the United States, from one in twenty women being afflicted in 1940, to one in eight in 1995. The American Cancer Society estimated that 183,000 new cases of breast cancer were reported during 1995. In the United States, some 46,000 women die from the disease per year. Today, it is accepted that the best way to detect breast cancer in its early stages is by annual mammography screening of women aged 40 and up.
Today, radiologists generally interpret mammograms visually, using a light box, and their analysis is largely subjective. Film masking is used to highlight additional detail. In many cases, the radiologist employs supplementary tools such as a magnifying glass and bright light sources to evaluate very dark regions. If the mammogram is not conclusive the radiologist must recall the patient for an additional mammogram using one or more of the following techniques:                1. adding a view with a different projection;        2. performing a magnification mammogram by changing the distance between the breast and the film;        3. locally compressing the breast in the area of suspected abnormality;The analysis, even after using the above techniques, still remains mainly subjective.        
In order to aid radiologists in reducing the false negative rate in mammographic screening, computer systems using specialized software and/or specialized hardware have been developed. These systems, often called computer-aided detection systems, hereinafter often denoted as “CAD systems”, have been known for many years and have been reported extensively. As noted below, their use in evaluating mammograms has been discussed at length in both the patent and professional literature.
CAD systems are typically used as follows. A radiological technician or a radiologist takes a set of radiological film images of the patient following a predetermined protocol. A radiologist views the film images and reaches a preliminary diagnosis. The radiologist next views separate, second images that are generated by the CAD system after processing the scanned and digitized set of film images. Typically, suspected abnormalities detected by the CAD system through computer analysis of the digitized version of the respective radiological film images appear as marked locations on the second images. After a reexamination of the areas of the original film images that correspond to the positions of the suspected abnormalities displayed on the CAD system, the physician makes a final diagnosis and determines a course of further action.
FIG. 1 to which reference is now made shows a block diagram of a simplified prior art CAD system designated as 100. Radiological films 110 taken by a radiologist or technician are scanned into and digitized by a digitizer 114. The digitized image produced is then fed into a processor 142, which uses any of many known algorithms to detect suspected abnormalities on the mammogram. Typical algorithms used for detecting abnormalities on the mammogram can be found in many of the references cited below. The digitized image is displayed on display 134. The displayed image shows the abnormalities detected, a location marker typically marking each abnormality. The image can be manipulated through a keyboard or other input device. Using a keyboard 138, the user instructs the processor to send the displayed images to a printer 118 for printing. The printout of the displayed digitized images includes location markers indicating suspected abnormalities on the images.
Computer-aided detection (CAD) mammography systems, and algorithms for use therewith, have been discussed extensively in many issued patents. An overview of the field can be obtained by reviewing U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,729,620 (Wang); 5,815,591 (Roehrig et al); 5,828,774 (Wang); 5,854,851 (Bamberger et al); 5,970,164 (Bamberger et al); 6,075,879 (Roehrig et al); 6,198,838 (Roehrig et al); 6,266,435 (Wang); and 6,434,262 (Wang). These patents, including references cited therein, are hereby incorporated by reference in this specification as though fully set forth herein.
Generally, a radiologist reads and analyzes several sets of mammograms one after another, each set relating to a different patient. The radiological films of the patients are often commingled during the digitizing process, as are the printed reports generated by the printer. Significant time is required by the staff of a radiology department to sort and collate the films with their respective printouts for insertion into the patient's physical files. The commingling of film and printed reports allows for the possibility of misplacement, error or even loss. In addition, the separation of films and printed reports, and then their subsequent collation generally requires a large work area.
While many prior art patents discuss collation of medical records, to the best of the inventors' knowledge they almost always pertain to collating digital records and do not relate to the collation of physical records. Typical, prior art medical data management and collating systems and methods can be found, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,272,481 (Lawrence et al); 6,336,903 (Bardy); and 6,368,284 (Bardy). All appear to be computer-based systems and methods dealing with digital records, and they do not provide for collating and filing physical records.
In the case of mammograms the retention and organization of the physical radiological films is mandated. A workstation and method for retaining, organizing and assisting in the filing of radiological film mammograms together with related digitally produced printouts is required but lacking. Such a workstation and method would require less time for data management and would prevent errors.